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Latina Letters From the
Front!
My
lungs are burning and my
legs are weary. I
breathe in dust and
loathe the pre-dawn
dryness of Iraq.
Finally, I see the
familiar stop sign that
marks the end of my
daily run. I am greeted
at the Entry Control
Point (ECP), with a
motivated “Ooorah! Good
Morning Ma’am,” by a
young female Latina
Lance Corporal outfitted
in full battle gear,
despite the already
unbearable temperature.
Even though I am
exhausted, the simple
greeting and the sight
of this Marine makes me
smile and proud of my
strong and diversified
Marine Corps family.
My
name is 1st Lt Maia
Molina-Schaefer and for
the past year I have
completed these daily
morning runs while
serving out my first
deployment as an Air
Intelligence Officer
with the Second Marine
Air Wing (Forward) at Al
Asad Air Base. I last
talked with LATINA
Style for their
Sept/Oct 2004 issue as I
prepared for my United
States Naval Academy
graduation and
commissioning as a USMC
Officer. The past three
years have gone by
extremely fast and I am
astounded by all I have
learned and
accomplished.
After graduation, I
attended The Basic
School (TBS) in
Quantico, VA. TBS is a
grueling six-month
course that introduces
Marine Officers to the
art and science of
leading Marines. |
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The extensive classroom
and field training on
subjects ranging from
weapons and battlefield
tactics to leadership
and protocol was a
physical and mental
challenge.
At
the end of TBS, every
Lieutenant is assigned a
Military Occupational
Specialty (MOS) and I
was selected to be an
Air Intelligence
Officer. An Air Intel
Officer collects and
analyzes information
pertaining to the enemy,
battlefield, and
terrain. Marine Intel
Analysts form this
analyzed information
into relevant pictures
for Marine Corps pilots
going into harms’ way.
After attending the Air
Intelligence Officer
course, I checked into
my first duty station in
Cherry Point, NC and
quickly deployed to Iraq
with 2d MAW (Fwd) in
January 2007.
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Lt.
Felts,
President
Bush
and
1st
Lt.
Maia
Molina-Schaefer |
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1st
Lt.
Maia
Molina-Schaefer
with
Katie
Couric |
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Every morning of my
deployment I briefed the
significant events and
important intelligence
information in our Area
of Operations (AO) to
the Commanding General
and his battle staff. A
highlight of my tour was
September 2007, when I
had the opportunity to
interact with President
Bush and our countries’
top leaders when they
came to Al Asad to
conduct a meeting with
Iraq’s political and
religious leaders. It
was a remarkable
experience to be in the
same room as these
influential leaders.
Despite being from
drastically different
cultures, all were
striving for the same
goal: to create a better
and brighter future for
both countries.
The Marine Corps
provides tremendous
opportunities for
Latinas. In the Marine
Corps, women serve in 93
percent of all
occupational fields and
make up 6 percent of the
total fighting force.
Although we are small in
numbers, we are clearly
an integral part of the
Marine Corps. Before I
wrote this, I asked some
Latina Marines if they
had a message to send to
all the young women back
home and they all
relayed the same ideas:
no matter where you come
from, geographically or
economically, there are
always opportunities.
Ultimately, it is up to
you to seize these
opportunities and define
yourself as an
individual. For us, the
Marine Corps provided us
the opportunity to serve
our country, travel the
world and receive an
education. They also
wanted to remind every
Latina out there that
they are women just like
you. They are mothers,
sisters, and daughters.
They love wearing their
hair down and spending
time with their families
and friends. However,
when the time comes,
they are proud to don
their uniforms and go
where our military
services are in need.
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1st
Lt.
Maia
Molina-Schaefer
with
Chuck
Norris |
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(Left
to
right):
1st
Lt.
Maia
Molina-Schaefer,1st
Lt.
Bessie
Bernstein
and
2nd
Lt.
Maria
Meinhardt |
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My
Iraq deployment has been
a wonderful learning
opportunity. I have
loved every moment as a
leader of Marines and an
Air Intel Officer. My
daily work with my
fellow Marines has been
the most rewarding part
of my deployment. I will
always smile when I
think of that Latina
LCpl greeting me at the
ECP in Iraq as I
finished my morning
runs. It is because of
Marines like her, that
Latinas are represented
honorably and proudly in
the Marine Corps. Within
the next couple of
months you will be
hearing from other
Latinas serving in Iraq.
I hope you find their
strength and stories as
inspirational as I do.
By 1st Lt Maia
Molina-Schaefer
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